Episode 909
by CristaeFortunately, the boy from the Wardanaz family shook off his fear and willed the demigod to become a hamster.
Pop!
The giant skull vanished, and a giant hamster appeared in its place.
-A h-hamster?!
-Is there such a thing as a mountain-crushing hamster??
The giants were bewildered as the sluggish giant hamster tried to poke its head out of the black coffin.
The magic criminal hamster, trapped in the cage, let out a sigh of relief and shouted.
-Well done. Focus! Keep it in that form and pour on the attacks!
Of course, even in hamster form, the demigod was by no means easy prey.
After all, it was an artificial thought-form created by the tyrant to conquer the continent.
Still, the hamster form was better than the lich form.
-Get back in!
One of the giants swung his club powerfully and struck the demigod hamster.
With a sound like a landslide, the demigod hamster reeled from the blow.
-Hit it!
-Wardanaz’s foe!
The giants rained attacks down on the demigod hamster. Normally gentle from tending their sheep, the giants now revealed their true power, and the destruction was incredible.
And yet, the demigod hamster’s body continually regenerated.
Even as they pounded away, the giants themselves flinched back.
-W-what is this hamster!
-It’s scarier than the sheep!
Ceasetheattack.
-Hmph!
Ignoring the demigod hamster’s warning, a giant took another huge swing.
The demigod hamster let out a sharp cry.
■■■■■■■■!
-My club, my club!
-My club! I spent a fortune having it made!
The giants screamed.
Their clubs disintegrated in an instant, as if hundreds of years had passed for them alone.
-Dammit!
Even without their clubs, the giants did not give up. They tore up boulders from the mountain to hurl at the black coffin and ripped up giant trees to use as weapons.
-Stop it! You idiots! The order and laws have changed!
It was not the demigod hamster, but the magic criminal hamster, who squealed in alarm.
The cry the demigod hamster just let out was not an ordinary cry.
It had altered the laws and order near the black coffin to suit itself!
Probably attack nullification…
‘That can’t be the only thing!’
When it came to combat demigods, the powers could be even trickier.
Sure enough, the giants’ clothing began morphing into shackles.
-Wha—urk?
-Ugh, ugh!
-That’s why I said fall back!
No matter how much the hamster in the cage squeaked, the giants didn’t hear. Lee Han infused his shout with magic and yelled explosively.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
-Retreat!
-We don’t retreat! We advance backwards!
The giants were wise. They didn’t recklessly throw themselves at a stronger foe without hope of victory.
“What is that thing?”
-It’s probably… a power relating to submission or subjugation… but it’s hard to be sure without seeing more!
Not just simple attack nullification, but a law that forced those who attacked it to kneel and become its army.
It was an utterly broken power.
“You’ve got to be kidding… Even as a hamster?!”
-It’s only using that kind of law because it’s a hamster! In lich form, it would have unleashed every terrible black magic you know from Lord Gonadaltes. Just imagine if that thing was casting all of those spells!
Lee Han shuddered and gritted his teeth.
‘…Changing it to Gainando probably won’t help either.’
Hamster or Gainando, if it could use demigod-level laws, it was cheating either way.
Just turning it into a hamster was enough to block other powers.
And Gainando would be more capable than a hamster…
-Ahead!
Lost in thought, Lee Han reacted a beat too late.
The demigod hamster, perhaps realizing Lee Han was the leader of the giants, began to focus its attention on him.
“!!!”
Space warped, and Lee Han felt himself yanked toward the black coffin, floating in midair.
-It’s trying to swallow you! Get out of there!
Lee Han didn’t wonder what would happen if the demigod swallowed him. He had no time. Instinctively, he unleashed his magic.
First was Wardanaz Telekinesis. The powerful, silent-cast 5th circle spell resisted the pull, just barely holding Lee Han in place.
The other was…
Crackle!
“Lightning, embody and manifest!”
Forcing himself to cast a spell he hadn’t yet fully mastered, Lee Han tasted iron as if he’d bitten into metal.
‘Rebound!’
Forcing a spell beyond one’s level brought not only failure, but severely taxed the mage.
Lee Han had rarely experienced this, thanks to his talent and good luck, but after repeatedly testing his limits, this time he paid the price.
But Lee Han could not back down. Retreating now would be even worse than doing nothing.
Enormous magical power surged around him like a storm.
Normally he would carefully control his mana like scooping tea with a spoon, but now he boldly radiated it to fend off the rebound.
The uncontrolled lightning struck his body and lashed out instead of rebounding inward.
Having barely averted disaster, Lee Han gritted his teeth. Failing twice would truly be dangerous.
“…Lightning, embody and manifest!!”
His free hand transformed into lightning.
This was lightning on a different level than what he usually wielded—a spell containing will itself.
The owner of the magic, Lee Han, felt its intention more clearly than anyone.
Pierce the enemy—penetrate through!
The bubbling power shot forth at once, aiming for the black coffin.
The power of the spell made the caged magic criminal hamster scream.
-The laws have changed!
“!”
Focused on the attack, Lee Han’s vision narrowed, then he widened his eyes.
Come to think of it, attacking hastily when the demigod’s laws were up…
Crash!
The magic, -Wardanaz’s Lightning Manifestation-, pierced through the demigod hamster.
Of all involved, the magic criminal hamster was the most shocked.
‘How!?’
Of course, the spell Lee Han showed just now was incredible for a first-year Einrogard student.
At least 5th circle, and altering lightning’s nature to hold a higher concept or will set it even higher.
And he held another 5th circle spell at the same time…
The hamster was an archmage, but even he had to respect such a gifted junior.
But the law was harsh.
No matter what feats he performed, the law couldn’t be changed.
If the demigod spread laws of attack nullification and subjugation, they were insurmountable.
Yet he had just pierced through those very defenses?
‘Did he break the law with a mere 5th circle spell!?’
If an opponent changed the law by strength, the answer was simple.
Change the law with strength, too.
The catch was, for a mage, that generally started with Small World spells.
Some high-level magics could exploit the world’s loopholes and rewrite law without a Small World, but not at 5th circle.
To exert the kind of power that could pierce a law with only a 5th circle spell…!
Ceasetheattackcommander.
The demigod hamster protested, frustrated that Lee Han, meant to be its commander, was attacking it.
Just now, that attack had even pierced the law-based defenses.
“Who’s your commander?”
Lee Han spat blood and readied his next spell.
The damage he’d done just now vanished instantly, but at least he had infinite mana on this side. He was ready to bombard the thing until his mind was worn to shreds.
But the demigod hamster was a step ahead.
Rather than grappling with an unpredictable lightning-mage in close quarters, it chose a different tactic.
Space warped, and the baffled Lee Han was suddenly flung far away again.
At the same time, the space between Lee Han and the demigod hamster began to twist and reshape geometrically.
‘It’s aiming to…!’
Lee Han realized the ploy.
If it couldn’t withstand direct law-breaking hits, it would make it so Lee Han couldn’t even target it—by amping up the surrounding difficulty.
If Lee Han tried to get close, it would twist space again, widening, then widening, then widening the distance…
Like some Zeno’s paradox, it threw up impossible obstacles in an instant, leaving Lee Han feeling drained.
‘And they summoned these by the legion?’
At first, Lee Han thought the Mad Clone truly was mad, but now he was realizing that, given enough time, conquering the continent might really have been possible.
If he couldn’t even reverse-summon a single demigod stuck half inside the coffin, and more demigods appeared…
“Lee Han!”
“!”
At the familiar voice of the half-troll professor, Lee Han nearly choked up.
Professors Garcia and Voladi, along with Death Knights, were flying in from afar.
“Are the other professors coming too?”
-What?
“…Have they figured out what’s going on?”
-Ah! Now I get it.
The Death Knight corrected Lee Han’s misunderstanding.
Even if something happened at Einrogard (like a demigod being summoned), the professors didn’t all rush over immediately.
The first responders were usually the Skull Headmaster’s minions—the Death Knights.
Given the frequency of incidents, if all professors responded to strong magical surges, school business would grind to a halt.
The Death Knights would check and try to resolve things, and only if it was clearly beyond them would they call in the professors.
“…But here you two are…!”
“I came because I was worried about you, Lee Han. Professor Baegrek came for the same reason.”
“……”
Lee Han was fed up with the cold policies of Einrogard.
Even if it meant writing an anonymous complaint later, he’d have to get these rules changed.
“It’s fine. With just you two, it’s enough! There’s a reason they say ‘an army of thousands’!”
“Lee Han. Is that blood at your mouth?”
“…Guess a healing potion splashed up on me. That’s not important right now!”
The two professors exchanged glances. Professor Garcia sent a worried telepathic message.
‘Should we send him back to school before he hurts himself?’
‘Understood.’
‘Um? Understood what?’
‘I’ll restrain him now. You take him back, Professor Garcia.’
‘Wha— Wait! I was talking about talking him into it??’
Professor Voladi silently shook his head.
If Lee Han was the sort of student who could be persuaded, he wouldn’t even be here in the first place.
Unable to retort, Professor Garcia was at a loss for words.
Completely unaware of the professors’ sinister plot, Lee Han quickly explained the situation.
“The Headmaster! Went mad! Trying to conquer the continent!”
…In his haste, he wasn’t very effective.
“So his motive has reversed.”
“The Headmaster’s clone is summoning demigods to create an army.”
Thankfully, the two professors were sharp. Even from Lee Han’s strangled summary, they understood perfectly.
“But couldn’t the Headmaster’s clone prevent or evade the world’s resistance? Why is it like this?”
“There must have been some turmoil or confusion.”
“Could Lee Han have had a little influence too?”
“Probably. An outstanding disciple can influence even their master.”
Alarmed, sensing something strange in their exchange, Lee Han blurted out,
“What did you just say?”
“It’s nothing, Lee Han. Just focus on reverse-summoning the demigod.”
“So I was waiting for instructions…”